Textura Magazine named “The Stolen Child: Choral Works of Scott Perkins” its choice for the third-best classical album of 2017. Released this past January by Navona Records, “The Stolen Child” is Scott’s debut full-length release. Read texture’s article here.

NEW PUBLICATIONS

E. C. Schirmer, a division of ESC Publishing, has accepted four of Scott’s works for publication: Instruments, The Lord’s Prayer, Lullaby, and When You Are Old. The last two of these pieces were released on Scott’s debut album, “The Stolen Child: Choral Works of Scott Perkins.”

Augsburg Fortress, the publisher for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, recently released its fifth anthem by Scott, Blessed Rest. The publisher describes the piece as a “flowing, lyrical anthem appropriate for All Saints, funerals, or any time of remembrance. Unison passages balance beautiful harmonic progressions, providing an accessible work for most choirs.” Listen to an audio sample and order your copy here.

Augsburg Fortress will release its sixth anthem by Scott, You, God, Are My Light, later this year. Scott will also begin a relationship with Paraclete Press, which will publish his The Wonders of Thy Grace in late Fall. Until then, the anthems are available for purchase through Encore Music Creations. To order, email Encore@EncoreMusicCreations.com.

WORKS IN PROGRESS

Scott is embarking on a 30-minute work for choirs, chamber orchestra, and organ. Commissioned by Third Presbyterian Church in Rochester, NY, the piece will celebrate faith through the generations by featuring its adult, junior, and youth choirs. Check back soon for more details!

Scott recently received a grant to continue working on an opera, Pierce, with playwright/librettist Nat Cassidy. Pierce tells the tragic and horrifying story of the United States’s most obscure leader, Franklin Pierce, haunted beyond comprehension and driven desperately to distraction, as his country descends into civil war. Scott and Nat have already collaborated on a short opera: Charon was commissioned by the Washington National Opera and premiered at the Kennedy Center in 2012.

Scott is preparing to write the third book of his Invisible Cities for organ solo. Each year for nine years, beginning in 2017, Scott is composing a set of miniatures after the imaginary cities Marco Polo describes to the Kublai Khan in Italo Calvino’s eponymous book. The project began as part of a festschrift for the noted organist David Higgs on the occasion of his 60th birthday: Scott joined a list of distinguished composers commissioned to contribute works, including Byron Adams, Samuel Adler, William Bolcom, David Conte, Jürgen Essl, Martin Herchenroeder, Stephen Kennedy, Robert Kyr, Nico Muhly, Craig Phillips, and Zachary Wadsworth

“[Perkins’s] material exudes an ethereal character, especially in the title piece, that leaves an indelible imprint. . . . Especially haunting is the six-movement title work (2006), in which a magical being attempts to protect a child from future sorrows by spiriting it off to the natural world. . . . There’s a sultriness to Perkins’ melodies that’s potent enough to seduce an adult, let alone a less worldly child, and one repeatedly basks in the glorious effect of the cascading vocal melodies, regardless of whether the movement’s character expresses the liveliness of youth (“To a Child Dancing in the Wind I”) or the wistfulness that sets in as the end draws near (“When You are Old”). Structurally the work impresses, too, with Yeats’s title poem framing the four inner movements, which constitute a life cycle, with prologue and epilogue treatments. . . . Each of the three settings feels modern in its compositional design yet at the same time very much connected to the longstanding traditions of choral music. Though there’s a natural fluidity to the vocalizing that ties it to writing of the past, Perkins’ beautiful settings never feel anything less than contemporary.” —Textura

“Perkins’s “neo-modal” language is balanced and fluid. His compositional technique is exquisite. . . . His music is saturated with images and he succeeds in maintaining a scrupulous respect for the word. . . . Perkins captures musically an emotional portrait that reflects the aspirations of these three poets with great expressive power.” —Sonograma Magazine (translated from the original Catalan)

“Scott Perkins builds an intricate world with his choral collection The Stolen Child. . . . These are three very different works which [complement] each other beautifully. [A] Word Out of The Sea is arguably this album’s most haunting inclusion, whilst The World of Dream represents a collection of dreamy, floaty pieces. For me The Stolen Child is easily the most beautiful and pleasing segment. This is an incredible choral work that delivers more intimate themes the more you listen to it. 10 [of 10].” —Darren Rea, Review Graveyard

“The textures of Perkins’ choral music are clearly contemporary, and some of his techniques (such as his elaboration of the sound of a single letter) are quite modern; yet his vocal colors, frequent use of modal language, and direct expressiveness recall the old a cappella tradition. . . . The vocal writing is assured and well- designed throughout all these works. . . .” —Infodad

“All three works are similar in that the emphasis seems to be on the higher voices and everything blending into a conversational, murmury, shimmering sort of sound. It’s hypnotic and intriguing. . . .” —operaramblings